The Lone Wolf
by mrgamerguy47
Summary: The Temple of Sacred Ashes is a smoldering crater, the Conclave has been slaughtered, the Templar/Mage fighting has reached new heights, and a massive hole has opened up in the sky and is raining demons all over Southern Thedas. Maxwell Trevelyan must lead the Inquisition or die trying. Then oppritunity comes in the form of the one they call Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf.


**The Lone Wolf**

**Hello my babies! I am back after a looooong hiatus brought on by equal parts depression, college, writer's block, and a major computer crash. Anyways, I made a New Year's resolution to get back to writing so I am going to kick things off with a new story.**

**So I've been playing a lot off the new Dragon Age game, three playthroughs to be extact, and I just knew I wanted to do a crossover on it and with the Witcher 3 coming out in May, if they don't delay it for a third time, I decided to combine the two. Major spoilers for both franchises. So here's the summary:**

Maxwell Trevelyan has had the worse week of his life and just about anyone in all of Orlais, Ferelden, or the Free Marches could claim the same thing. The Temple of Sacred Ashes is a smoldering crater along with the Divine, the Conclave has been slaughtered, the Templar/Mage fighting has reached new heights, and a massive hole has opened up in the sky and is raining demons all over southern Thedas. The only hope anyone has rests in Maxwell's hand in the form of the Mark but he will need more than that to save the world. With the newly born Inquisition at his back and companions at his side, he will need to lead them or die trying. Then, oppritunity comes in the form of a man, a lone wanderer, a warrior, a legend named Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf**.**

**...**

**Chapter 1: On the Hunt**

Maxwell Trevelyan looked down at the war table and rubbed his tired eyes and throbbing temples. He had just returned to Haven from Val Royeaux and was discussing what transpired in the beating heart of the Empire.

"Well they didn't try to kill you on the spot so they haven't completely vilified us." Josephine, the dark skinned ambassador of the Inquistion, said as she smoothed out the front of her ever present golden dress with ruffled sleeves, holding her writing board at the ready.

"No they just ignored every word I said, and publicly denounced me as a traitor, a murderer, and a heretic." Maxwell said, still rubbing his eyes. How was he expected to close the Breach if every single person in southern Thedas with even the tiniest slither of power wouldn't even give him the time of day.

"We don't need the Chantry. Just the Templars." Pointed out Cullen, the curly haired commander of the Inquisition's troops, standing at attention in his usual set of shining armor, accented with a mane of red animal fur around the collar.

"It would be nice to have some sort of legitimate organization to back us, Commander." Lelianna countered, as she brushed a strand of her short red hair out of her face. The Inquisition Spymaster was wearing her chainmaile dress, along with her gloves and the purple hood she always kept pulled up. "And as I said before, the Templars aren't our only options. Mages can give us more than enough power to seal the Breach."

"You really think it's a good idea to pit a bunch of mages against a horde of demons?" Cullen shot back, "If even one of them is possessed it would be a living nightmare for us and the poor sod with a demon prancing around in his skull."

"Would you have us go recruit the Templars so they go back to locking up innocent people who's only crime is how they were born?"

"No! I'm not saying we-"

"Enough!" Shouted Cassanda, with her usual glare on her face, as ever present as the scar on her left cheek. The former Seeker was wearing her normal attire: a steel breast plate, armored gloves, brown leather pants, and knee high boots. Her short black hair was done up in a braid that wrapped around the crown of her head. "Let's let the Herald give his opinion on the situation."

The four all looked to Maxwell, waiting patiently for his response.

"The Templars made it clear that they didn't want anything to do with us or the Chantry when the Lord Seeker Lucious knocked a Sister out cold in the middle of a market square." He said, remembering the scene perfectly.

The Sister had been standing on a stage, grand standing for the gathered crowed and trying to paint the Inquisition as heretics and murders, when the Templars arrived. They marched on stage without saying a word and then one of them blind sided the Sister as the Lord Seeker gave his speech on the Chantry's tyranny, the Inquisition's heresy, and the Templar's destiny. Then they marched off leaving the crowed shocked and confused by what they had just seen.

"Then let's take up the Grand Enchanter on her offer and go to Redcliff" said Lelianna

Grand Enchanter Fiona had approached Maxwell and his group as they were leaving the Capital, much to everyone's surprise. She then invited them to Redcliff village and left before anyone saw the leader of the rebel mages walking the streets of Val Royeaux.

"I don't trust the mages." Cassandra said, "This 'invitation' could to easily be a trap."

"Then this is what we'll do." Maxwell said, "Lelianna, send some agents to investigate where the Templars have gone. Josephine, see how we are standing with the Chantry after that show in the market place. Cullen, send some men to Redcliff to see what the situation is there. I want to at least hear what the mages have to say before making any final decisions."

"I'll come with you to Redcliff in case it really is a trap." Cassandra said

"Very well, is everyone clear on what do?" Maxwell asked to which they all nodded, "Then we're adjourned. I'll set out for Redcliff tomorrow mourning."

Maxwell left the war room and was about to retire when he was approached by Lelianna.

"Herald," she said, "there's something I almost forgot to tell you."

"Almost forgot? You mean you don't remember every waking moment?" Maxwell said with a smile

"That's what field reports are for." She said with a chuckle, "There are rumors of a man in the Hinterlands. He seems to be a mercenary or a hunter of some sort."

"The Inquisition already has mercanaries, Lelianna, like the Chargers."

"Yes, ordinarily I wouldn't pay this any mind but this man seems to be a Nord."

That got Maxwell's attention.

"A Nord? You mean he is from the kingdoms to the east? Across the Frozen Sea?" he asked, a little surprised

There was extremely little known about the eastern continent. From the tales brought back by traders, the south was ruled by the empire of Nilfgaared while the north was controlled by a handful of kingdoms such as Temaria, Kaedwen, Aedirn, and others. The people who lived in these kingdoms were referred to as Nord or Nordlings.

"Yes, now as far as I can tell no Nord has ever even set foot on Thedas. I was thinking you could look for him while you visit Redcliff, he may be of some help to us."

"The mages take priority but I will look into this." Maxwell said after pondering for a second. With that he turned around and left for his quarters to prepare for tomorrow's journey.

...

The Hinterlands as bright and sunny as always when Maxwell, Cassandra, Vivienne, and Iron Bull arrived at the Crossroads. Rays of light shown through the branches of pines and fir trees while refugees crowed and bumped past each other as they milled about the tents trying to get more food or blankets from the soldiers. No matter how much they gave the refugees, their was always another hungry mouth to feed or another wound to stitch closed.

"Even after we give them all the food and blankets we can, these people are still struggling to survive out here." Maxwell sighed

"The sooner we kill those Mage and Templar assholes the sooner they walk down the road with an arrow in the back or a fireball to the face." Said Iron Bull.

The extremely muscled qunari man stood at least eight feet tall, nine if you counted the horns that sprouted from the top of head. His grey skin was riddled with scars and he was missing his left eye which he covered with a black eye patch. He had no hair on his head other than afive o'clock shadow and he wore only simple striped breeches and a leather harness.

"Elegantly put, my dear." Said Vivienne.

Where Bull was epitome of brute force, Vivienne was the sterling example of refinement. The dark skinned woman wore a white traveling dress with long, elegant sleeves, and a large frilled collar. On her usually shaved head she wore a white head dress with two large decorative horns that covered most of her head but left the face open so as to show off her bright eyes and full, pouting lips.

"Your Worship," said a scout standing over by the road signs, waving to Maxwell, "there's a report for you, sir."

"What's going on?" Said Maxwell

"Scouts spotted that a giant has moved into a cave to the north west."

"A giant! Are the refugees in any danger?"

"No, sir. The beast seems to know enough to avoid large groups of people but there's more. The man that Mistress Nightingale was looking for is hunting the giant."

"You mean the Nord?"

Yes, sir, he seems to have made a profession out of hunting monsters."

"Show me the cave on the map. If there really is a giant in the Hinterlands, then we had best look into it before someone gets stomped."

"It's most likely going to be this hunter we are looking for if he thinks he can take on a giant single handed." Said Cassandra as they made there way to the cave.

...

The group came to the cave about twenty minutes later after taking the road east and making a quick hike over a few hills. The cave itself was a huge, gapping hole in a cliff side that could was easily three stories tall. It looked as if you could fit a barn inside without even scratching the paint.

Around the mouth of the cave where animal bones of all sizes scattered around on the ground. Some looked old and brittle while others where new, still having some scrapes of meat on them. On closer inspection, some of the bones didn't belong to animals at all.

Maxwell and the others moved closer to cave mouth but stopped when they saw the pile of fresh corpses sitting just before the entrance to the cave.

"Bandits," Cassandra said as they moved closer, "Looks like they have been dumped here for the giant to dispose of."

"What a lovely fellow, that giant. Helping out his community like that." Maxwell said with a chuckle.

"They look fresh." said Iron Bull, "Can't be more than an hour dead."

"Then why hasn't the giant eaten them yet?"

"Oh shit! I'be seen this before with the Chargers. They're-"

The ground shook as a massive stomping sound came from with in the cave coming closer and accompanied by a huge rumbling bellow.

"-giant bait." Bull finished with a sigh and drew his great axe as the stomping came closer.

In no time the giant emerged from its lair and roared. The beast stood taller than a house and was naked except for large patches of fur that covered its forearms, torso, and calves. Two huge, curved tusks jutted from the creatures mouth and stared at the group with a dumb expression on its face before eventually deciding they were a threat.

The giant roared again, pounding its chest and looked like it was about to charge. Maxwell stood, sword drawn, ready for the attack when suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a man leaped from a ledge over looking the cave entrance and landed on the giant. The man drove his broad sword into the soft spot on the Giants shoulder. The beast screamed and fell to its hands and knees with a mighty thud. The man leaped off the giant and, before Maxwell could even blink, he drove his bloodied sword into the giant's right eye socket. The monster went rigid for a moment and then collapsed dead.

"Okay, credit where it's due," Bull said as they all stared at what just happened, "that was badass."

The four adventures approached the man, who turned around and gave Maxwell a good look at him.

The man looked like he was in his twenties or his thirties but his long, ghost white hair and skin made him look mabey twenty years older. He wore his hair tied back into a ponytail and he had a large scar that crossed over his left eye. A couple other, smaller scar marked his strong face and he wore a pair of well worn traveling boots, leather breeches, and a chainmail shirt beneath a studded leather jacket with matching studded gloves. He still held his bloodied sword in one hand and wore a second sword across his back like a quiver of arrows.

"Who are you?" He said in a deep, baritone voice

"I am Maxwell Trevelyan, of the Inquisition," Maxwell said in his most authoritative voice, "and we are looking for a Nord hunter. I assume that's you?"

"Aye." The man said, his voice betrayed no emotions as he regarded Maxwell with a blank stare but it was then that Maxwell noticed his eyes which were a bright, almost glowing yellow with verticle, slitted pupils like a cat's or a snake's.

"I've heard of your unique talents and think that you could help the Inquisition."

"I don't know a damn thing about you or this Inquisition everyone keeps talking about. All I know is that everyone from here to the coast won't shut up about it."

"That sounds about right."

"Regardless I'm not signing up with anyone or anything." The man said as he lifted his sword and chopped off one of the giant's tusks.

"We are gathering everything and everyone we can to close the Breach and seal the hole in the sky." Maxwell explained and the man paused for a moment.

"And how exactly are you going to do that? I know that if it were easy then there wouldn't be demons running all over the hillsides."

"I am the Herald of Andraste. I have power over the Fade Rifts with this mark." He insisted, purposefully making the mark on his hand glow. The man, however, seemed unfazed by it.

"Anyone with even a spark of magic in their blood could pull off parlor tricks like that and so far, all you've told me is that you are gathering an army because you 'might' be a herald of some goddess. Either way I have no interest in joining you." With that the man grabbed a rag out of a pouch on his belt and began wiping the blood off his sword, as if the four travelers were never even there.

"Where are you from, might I ask?" said Maxwell, causing the man to pause

"No where," he said as he shot Maxwell a suspicious look, "but if you want to be technical about it, Rivia."

"And do you think that the massive hole in the sky isn't a matter of concern for the Northern Kingdoms or Rivia?"

"And I'm to believe that you have the solution to hole in the sky?"

"With the mark on my hand, I can control the Rifts and, therefore, I can seal the the Breach."

"And yet demons still rain from the sky." The man said, crossing his arms, "If it were as easy as you say, you would have done it already."

"I need a strong enough sorce of magic to seal the Breach and for that the Inquisition needs allies."

"Hmph," the man grunted, thinking over what Maxwell had just said, "I care little of what happens to the Northern Kingdoms but there are people I hold dear back home. If I were to join this Inquistion, what would be involved?"

"You would follow my orders or the orders of the Inquistion's spymaster, general, or ambassador. You would help us to close the Breach, hunt demons, and restore order where it is needed."

"If I'm to do this, I have some conditions."

"Name them."

"I'm no lap dog. If you want me to take orders, I will take them from you and no one else. I make no promises and swear no oaths. The second I begin to disagree with how you lead this Inquistion, I'm gone. I also won't convert to your religion and I don't work for free."

"I promise you, no one will try to convert you and you can work out the terms of your pay with our ambassador. As for taking orders, I see no reason to object to your demands. I will need to know your name."

"It's Geralt," he the man said, sheathing his sword across his back and extended a hand to Maxwell, "Geralt of Rivia."

"Welcome to the Inquisition, Geralt of Rivia." Maxwell said, as they shook hands.

**...**

**And that is the end of the first chapter, it's shorter than I would like but I will be changing that in later chapters. I haven't quite figured out where this is in the Witcher storyline but I will be following the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition with Geralt as the Inquisition's newest volunteer. Explanations for why Geralt is in Thedas and things like that are coming, I promise you. Please remember to follow, favorite, and review.**


End file.
